The Ice Bucket Challenge: What it Has Done for ALS?

Lately, it’s been virtually impossible to scroll through your newsfeed on any social media outlet without coming across at least a few clips of friends and celebs alike doing the Ice Bucket Challenge. The trend is so popular, in fact, that it now has its own Wikipedia page explaining the origins and unofficial rules. It even links to a separate Wikipedia page that lists all the notable people who have participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Although it has grown in popularity over the last few months, has this viral social media trend actually done anything to raise funds for ALS research or increase mainstream awareness of the debilitating disease?

(Source: Someecards)

Like any message that is spread via social media, the true nature of the Ice Bucket Challenge has gotten somewhat lost. There are several versions of the challenge, the most popular has participants both dump ice water on their heads AND donate to a charity of their choice but eventually evolved into donating specifically to ALS research. The ALS Association announced last Tuesday that they have received a total of $88.5 million in donations in connection with the vast participation in the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Despite the widespread attention the challenge seems to be getting, few participants actually know what ALS actually is. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. According to the ALS Association, it is a “progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.” The Ice Bucket Challenge has received its fair share of criticism for helping to enable “slaktivism,” a combination of “slacker” and “activism” which describes the support of a cause without any actual effort. People simply pour a bucket of ice water over themselves and donate a few dollars to a cause they know little about.

Unfortunately, the Ice Bucket Challenge and the attention to ALS will likely fade into pop culture history as interests move on to the next big trend. But one thing is for sure, this is yet another example of the true power and connectivity of social media and its users.

The Smartest Super Bowl Commercial

It seems the general consensus about the Super Bowl commercials is that they were overall a bit...underwhelming this year. However, the first commercial to air after the big game caused a huge buzz on Twitter. Esurance aired a commercial promoting a contest they are hosting worth $1.5 million! Within seconds of the commercial airing, #EsuranceSave30 was already trending on Twitter and is still trending today worldwide.

Although this commercial created plenty of publicity for Esurance and its contest, it also opened the door for plenty of scamming accounts including @EsuranceSavings, @EsuranceWin, and @MillionEsurance. (For public knowledge, the only account affiliated with the contest is @Esurance.)

Regardless of the potential scams, Esurance's contest promotion via Twitter was a huge success. It seems the most intelligent Super Bowl commercials over the past few years have been incorporating social media. In fact, public relations professionals began using #BrandBowl to discuss the brands' new tactics of utilizing Twitter as opposed to solely relying on the Super Bowl commercials alone. Not only were companies tweeting things related to their commercials, they also tweeted amongst each other.

This new trend shows no sign of slowing down. Integrating social media into their advertisements allows companies to speak directly to their consumers and, in turn, builds a sense of brand loyalty and good relationships.

What do you think about the spike in social media advertising? Share your thoughts below!

#TU101

It seems that nothing is a more effective marketing tool than guerrilla social networking. A perfect example would be the explosion of the #TU101 hashtag on Twitter last Sunday, July 7^th. The hashtag was started by a rising senior who thought it would be a great idea to start a conversation on things to know upon coming to Temple University. It didn't take long for the trend to catch on and students began to share their own advice, experience, and quirks that come along with being a Temple Owl. Within the hour, the trending topic jumped to the number one most tweeted topic in the Philadelphia area. As more students discovered the trending topic, more students tuned in and contributed to the conversation. Eventually, it wasn’t just current students joining the conversation. Incoming freshman began asking questions and receiving tips that I’m sure every freshman wish they had before college. In just a few short hours #TU101 went from the top hashtag in the Philadelphia region to the third most discussed hashtag nationwide!

While people expressed a few grievances about the school, the overall tone of the conversation expressed adoration for Temple. Without a marketing team, this hashtag not only boosted the morale of the students and generated pride for Temple University, but also raised awareness to incoming students of the great opportunities that the school has to offer.

So how was this spontaneous campaign so effective? It is a relatable topic. Temple University has over 35,000 students and each one of them has a story to share or, in this case, a tweet to send. If you have a topic that you want to share you don’t necessarily need a social media team behind you. All you need is a simple, relatable topic that can generate a conversation.

Have you started a trending topic? How effective was it? We would love to know!